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No layoffs in city's new pact with Jacksonville fire union
You really need a game card to keep up with all the changes going on between the city and the unions. I have some concerns about these new conditions running out when the contract runs out as you can sort of feel when reading the article that the fire union thinks they can go back to business as usual (and huge out of touch demands) once this contract runs out. Sad for the city that such a greedy attitude is so prevalent (otherwise, they would have accepted the 2% paycut the first time around instead of expecting the city to fold on making good on their threats to demote and lay off people).
2% pay cut part of new deal; similar to rejected proposal.
Negotiators with the Jacksonville fire union and the city agreed to a tweaked contract proposal Wednesday that still includes 2 percent pay cuts and employee insurance contributions but guarantees no layoffs for two years.
Firefighters will vote on the new deal in about two weeks. If they approve it, the City Council would vote on it Oct. 26.
The contract is similar to the one about 53 percent of the union rejected in late September. That rejection led to 15 rookie firefighters losing their jobs and 23 people being demoted.
Because the budget approved by the council anticipated the firefighters accepting that first version of the contract, the city was to announce in coming days $1 million to $2 million in cuts to the fire department. Those cuts will now not be announced, said mayoral spokeswoman Misty Skipper.
The major change in the deal hammered out Wednesday is the extension of a ban on layoffs and non-disciplinary demotions through Sept. 30, 2012, when the contract runs out.
The previous version of the contract promised no layoffs through the end of September 2011 and would have added the additional year if the Police and Fire Pension Fund board moves ahead with pension reform.
The firefighters have nothing to do with decisions made by the pension board, the fire union argued Wednesday, so it doesn’t make sense to tie layoffs to them.
The new contract still requires firefighters to pick up 5 percent of their personal health insurance costs but places a $30-a-month cap on that amount.
Right now, the city said, the 5 percent contribution would be just under $25 a month.
Negotiators also tweaked the language regarding 2 percent pay cuts that would last for the life of the contract but didn’t make substantial changes.
If the deal is approved, the laid-off firefighters would be back on the job Oct. 30.
The city came close to declaring impasse midway through the negotiations, which lasted just more than three hours.
“We cannot let this go further,” said city negotiator Leonard Carson, who suggested declaring impasse and then continuing to negotiate.
If impasse is declared, negotiations go before a magistrate. Scheduling a hearing is a lengthy process that can’t begin before talks break down.
The firefighters said they thought the two sides could agree on changes, suggesting giving the process to the end of the week before pulling the trigger.
Within an hour, the city presented a plan attractive enough for the firefighters to call a break and discuss it for half an hour. They returned for about 13 more minutes of negotiation, which the city negotiators then withdrew to discuss, returning with the final deal.
“I think it’s a much better contract,” Carson said. “It’s going to bring a lot of peace.”
Fire union President Randy Wyse and several of the few dozen firefighters in the union hall declined to comment on the deal.
timothy.gibbons@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4103
link: http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2010-10-06/story/jacksonville-fi...
Views: 26
Comment
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Comment by Joanna B McDermott on October 13, 2010 at 9:40am
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No, I don't put my life on the line however, we are in a world of hurt and I don't think that $25 to $30 a months is too much to ask and neither was a 2% cut in pay for a while just to help out the city and the citizens....they are awesome and we appreciate what they do, however we are all in this together.....we personally have to pay thousands of dollars a year for our health insurance, we know we have to, we don't have a choice. These are very different times and everyone needs to help in whatever way they can.....
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Comment by Patricia M. McBride on October 13, 2010 at 5:34am
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Valarie, I agree they put their lives on the line and do a very hard job. I do not agree that their unions should get benefits and salaries for them that bankrupt the cities and towns they reside in. If this was just us, I would agree that what is happening is fair, but it is all over the country. Cities and towns are being destroyed financially by police, fire and public unions period. It can't continue. Thinks must change and moving retirement plans and health care plans into something more realistic is the only answer. I also have someone in my family that was a fireman and EMT his whole life as well as being a full time finish carpenter. The bottom line is that there is a limit (your idea is no limit and we are wrong to expect a limit, because they are special). No matter what someone does for a living, they can't expect unlimited demands to be met. These folks are cannabalizing the host, and it will not have a good outcome for anyone if allowed to continue.
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Comment by Valerie Sawyer on October 12, 2010 at 9:59pm
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Joanna, I'm sure your job also doesn't require you to put your health and even your life on the line every time you go to work. There should be some additional compensation for people willing to do these types of jobs. It's like anything - unless you've done the job, or been close to someone who does, you really have no clue what all it entails.
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Comment by Warren Sapp on October 10, 2010 at 2:05pm
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$25 is a good deal for
them, bad for taxes payer. Do they pay a CoPay and for medicine?
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Comment by Tim Willingham on October 9, 2010 at 8:20am
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There are a lot of other areas that the city should be cutting before FF and Police salaries. And $25 for individual health insurance? Do you know what the life expectancy of a FF is after retirement? This kind of treatment is NOT a tea party goal.
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I wish I could pay only $25 to $30 a month for health insurance.
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